Tips for a complete beginner?

[SillyMe 22]

Maybe something like these for under your jeans?

http://soccer.epicsports.com/prod/1815/mueller-pro-level-knee-pads-with-kevlar-single.html

[bwhockey17 12]

Haha for stopping, I always see people just learning thinking about it way too much. Just let the motion come naturally! A good way to tell if your thinking about it subconsciously is that just before you stop you slow down. Try to just trust yourself buddy!

[SirJW 207]

As for the arch pain you may be tieing your skates too tight in the forefoot, no need, just leave it snug but not too tight until the instep, then crank it down to keep heel locked in.

[blackout 4]

Haha for stopping, I always see people just learning thinking about it way too much. Just let the motion come naturally! A good way to tell if your thinking about it subconsciously is that just before you stop you slow down. Try to just trust yourself buddy!

Yea, but it's such an unnatural feeling when your still fighting for balance at times while just gliding, haha. I'm definitely getting it down though... I just need to get away form the wall.

As for the arch pain you may be tieing your skates too tight in the forefoot, no need, just leave it snug but not too tight until the instep, then crank it down to keep heel locked in.

I just put them on a bit ago and that was probably it; thanks! The pain went away after about 45 minutes into the first session yesterday, which I'd assume is due to the skate breaking in, right?

Does anyone have any specific pointers for balancing on one skate? I'm sure it's just practice, but any drills may help speed up the process. Whenever I try to balance on one skate my ankle gives way right or left, and I cant seem to keep it straight up and down.

[AntsSheffield 0]

Does anyone have any specific pointers for balancing on one skate? I'm sure it's just practice, but any drills may help speed up the process. Whenever I try to balance on one skate my ankle gives way right or left, and I cant seem to keep it straight up and down.

That's weird. I mean balancing on one skate is just like standing on one leg (so do that for practice too). But if you find it tough in skates it might mean there's not enough support round your ankles. Cheap, entry-level rec skates might act like that.

[Hockeydog 8]

Cheap, entry-level rec skates might act like that.

Blackout bought Bauer Supreme One.6 skates, they should be plenty supportive.

I wouldn't expect balanacing on one foot to be easy yet, but you shouldn't be collapsing like that, unless the skates are way too big for you. You did read up on skate fit, and got a good fitting pair, right?

It's all personal pregerence, but the general rule is leave the first 3-4 eyelets a bit loose. Snug them but not tight at all. Then snug up the rest of the laces pretty tight until you get to the last set of eyelets, then snug but not too tight so you can get some flex in your ankles. Let us know specifically how your skates fit. Where are your toes in relation to the end of the boot? Is there a lot of room on the sides? When you just stand up with the skates on and tied up do they pronate or collapse inward a lot?

Could be you just need the practise, but lets make sure the skates are right as well.

[moreoutdoor 6]

... Whenever I try to balance on one skate my ankle gives way right or left, and I cant seem to keep it straight up and down.

Sure there are anatomical/physiological reasons for not being able to keep ankles somewhat straight, but mostly it's skates/fit. Should really have no problem keeping a somewhat straight leg/ankle/foot line.

1. Are Skates well matched and sized to your foot/volume? If they're not sized correctly, I'd take them back!

2. Did you bake the skates? Not baking modern skates leaves way too much negative space/open volume, which leaves 'support' to ther fewer areas where your skate/foot make good contact. Use a thin/normal thickness sock for fitting/baking/skating? Pronating inside the skate is the most common reason for the wobbles, and the skate needs to handle that. A 'stiff' skate doesn't neccesarily mean you won't sag - if it doesn't fit correctly.

3. Are you lacing snug enough from the bend up to the boot top? Lacing 'Outside/Over' allows more control of the snugness at each eyelet where it's used, and also resists 'slipping' (which waxed laces also help , personally I not likie waxed...) - as compared to the more common ''inside/under' lacing.

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa237/eric42434224/CIMG3046.jpg - actual right skate is common 'inside/under', left skate is 'outside/over'

4. A decent footbed may be needed for some skates to help reduce pronation in the skate.

Get that sagging resolved, it will really hold back skating progress in a big way...

EDIT: Other thing, and I don;t want to scare anyone, but...

A poor fitting, modern, 'stiff' hockey skate is more prone to allowing serious ankle injuries, because of the poor fit... (as compared to 'old school' skates)

[blackout 4]

I can easily walk around with my ankles straight, and skating as well. But there is ankle flex, albeit not as much as it feels. Visually it doesn't look too bad, and I'm making a conscious effort to do it when I test it.

How much ankle flex should there be?

I did read quite a bit on fit before I went to purchase them. My toes do not touch the front of the skate unless I loosen the laces and kick the front. At that point, I can fit a pencil behind my heel, but that's it. The gentleman doing the fitting said that's fine.

Comfort wise they are getting better, though an area below my left outer ankle sometimes feels sore when I lift the skate off the ground with my leg. My right skate actually feels pretty nice.

I only have like 3 hours of time on the ice with them, and along with the fact that I'm a noob, hopefully things will improve. It's by no means bad though.

[moreoutdoor 6]

have they been baked?

now with 3 hrs on the ice, it's time to bake, if they haven't already been done...

you shop guys on MSH can correct me, but that supreme one.6 should be bakeable (and designed to have it done...)

every good skate shop should be able to do a proper baking - which means where you bought it, they should do it for you as party of the sale....

[blackout 4]

Yup, I had them baked when I got them.

[blackout 4]

Here's a video of my skates and the side to side flex in my ankle. Whenever I try to balance on the skate at home my ankle will have a tendency to go out from my body.

I don't know how much side to side flex there should be (whats the term for that?). I think I'm lacing them up correctly from what I've watched and read.

I don't have issues just run of the mill skating, but like I said, the balancing is difficult. Again, it could just be my lack of skills yet.

And the video...

[MThockeydad 469]

Keep trying. It takes a little practice to get used to keeping the blade centered under your foot. You will learn to rotate your ankle to engage your edges.

A LOT of beginners skate with their ankles splayed out and are skating on their inside edges...so while that's not desirable, it's not at all unusual.

[blackout 4]

Keep trying. It takes a little practice to get used to keeping the blade centered under your foot. You will learn to rotate your ankle to engage your edges.

A LOT of beginners skate with their ankles splayed out and are skating on their inside edges...so while that's not desirable, it's not at all unusual.

Yea, I don't have issues with both skates on the ice. I'm able to keep the blades fairly in line with my legs. It's just when I try to balance on one skate and take the other off the ice, I have trouble keeping it center then. I figured it was practice, but of course that's much better than a bad fit!

[MThockeydad 469]

Work on the fit issue with the left outer ankle. If your skates otherwise feel good, just keep working on your balance.

Go ahead and keep your stick on the ice to help balance, too. (doesn't apply as much to open skate, but you could definitely carve out 5min during a stick and puck session to work on edge drills!)

[moreoutdoor 6]

I dunno... personally I prefer to have the boot shaft a bit tighter/closer to the leg than what you have in your vid.

...look at the gap between the skate boot top and your leg... you're not going to get all that space out, ever; but I prefer the skate boot much closer than that...

and if the boot was tied that 'loose' when you did the bake - iff'n it was me, I'd be baking them again, and lacing a bit tighter during the cool-down, which will mold them closer and take out a lot of that negative space and also put a better shape to the tongue. Which means that when you do lace up to skate, you'll still be lacing about as 'tight', but the boot will fit closer.

[blackout 4]

I have considered rebaking, as I may not have laced them up tight enough the first time.

I have an electronic heat treating oven with two thermocouples to control temperature (I use it for manufacturing in my line of business).

I've read about making sure the temp is consistent, which I can guarantee with my equipment, as what I use it for normally is a very similar application to baking skates. This is not a cooking oven, haha.

I've read the temp should be 175 Fahrenheit for 5 to 6 minutes, but can I get some feedback on that?

Thanks.

[fatwabbit 93]

Wow, $5 for public skate? I had a feeling $14 was high when I saw it. Anaheim ice is the next closest rink to me, about a 20 minute drive. Only $9 for public skate there.

I've got a snowboarding helmet (like a bmx helmet but with more warmth). I just need to get over myself when I get embarrassed thinking about wearing protective gear when it's not the norm (ex. public skate). I can be extremely self conscious. I tried to sucker some friends into going with me, but no luck. It's always easier to fail and learn with a friend.

Its about $10.50 here in Brisbane for a 'coffee skate'. Basically its from 11am-1230pm, open ice, comes with a hot cup of coffee/tea/chocolate. Normally about 20 people max on the ice, a few newer skaters on rental skates, but a few figure skaters who practice in the middle of the rink while the rest of us skate around nearer the boards. Worked well for me the last few years as the rink was 5 min from my work place, and the open ice let me practice my turns etc. It also makes you more aware of the surroundings, as you have to watch out for other people.

Protection, its personal preference. While I've been skating almost 20 years for inline, I still wear knee pads, elbows and helmet for open ice skating. OBviously when it comes to ice hockey you tend to wear more, and I couldnt care less what the others at the rink think about being too over-protected. No one is going to be watching out for you except for your loved ones, and if something bad happens (touch wood) those at the rink arent going to be helping you. And to be honest, you get used to the helmet after a while. If I could wear my hockey gear and carry a stick at the public skate, I would.

Also, one additional thing I've done in the past few times I've baked my skates was to have some of those 1" straps, the ones you can use to strap things to the top of your car. One you lace the skates snug, I wrap the straps in a figure 8 (around the back of the boot near the archiless tendon, criss cross over the instep, and under the boot itself). I then just strap it down tight, and let the boot cool. I find that it allows me to get a better fit, and I dont run the risk of pulling the eyelets out of my skates by over tightening. I bake my own skates at home, so no warranty.

[blackout 4]

I think I'll hold off on baking until I get another session in this weekend. I may have not been lacing them tight enough, as the boot wasn't really wrapping around my foot near the top. I tried making it tighter and definitely found the lateral movement much less. Overall though, I have been wearing them just to get used to them while watching TV, and they seem to fit my feet fairly well. My heels stay locked in nice and tight. My only small complaint is occasionally my little toe feels a tad cramped along the side of the toecap (my left foot more than the right has this, but the right still has the issue a little). I felt it when I went to those first sessions, but shrugged it off. Would that be a valid reason to get them "punched out" if it persists?

I can't wait to get back on the ice on the weekend. I'm still sore as hell, but it was a blast. Anaheim Ice seems to have a great friendly atmosphere which is totally awesome for someone like me. I got some small pads for my knees as well....these bruises HURT!

Oh, and before I forget... how much lateral movement should there be anyways? None? My fingers are pretty sore from tightening the laces, and I don't think I can get them any tighter. I just don't want to worry about something if it's relatively normal, otherwise I need to go back to Hockey Giant. I just see so many conflicting responses with some people saying there should be no lateral movement whatsoever, and others saying it's normal to an extent. And for what it's worth, the majority of lateral movement is out, not in, so in other words my ankles roll outwards if I don't hold them straight.

Sorry for being so paranoid!

[MThockeydad 469]

I've read the temp should be 175 Fahrenheit for 5 to 6 minutes, but can I get some feedback on that?

The boot should feel much more flexible. If it still doesn't flex, go to 180ºF for another 5-6min. You don't need it to feel like silly putty but you will feel it become noticeably more flexible. You shouldn't have to torque hard on your laces to get the skates to conform.

I like fatwabbit's suggestion to use the 1" strap. You could also compress the eyelet area with one hand as you tighten the laces with the other so you're not using the laces alone to conform the boot around your foot.

I felt it when I went to those first sessions, but shrugged it off. Would that be a valid reason to get them "punched out" if it persists?

Yes. that's usually why people get their skates punched.

Oh, and before I forget... how much lateral movement should there be anyways? None? My fingers are pretty sore from tightening the laces, and I don't think I can get them any tighter. I just don't want to worry about something if it's relatively normal, otherwise I need to go back to Hockey Giant. I just see so many conflicting responses with some people saying there should be no lateral movement whatsoever, and others saying it's normal to an extent. And for what it's worth, the majority of lateral movement is out, not in, so in other words my ankles roll outwards if I don't hold them straight.

Some people like a lot, some people like very little. That's why you're getting conflicting responses. You might try them tighter until you get used to controlling the steel under your foot, at which point you might appreciate them looser.

OK for you to ask--you don't know what you don't know!

[SirJW 207]

Consider golf or batting gloves for tieing and or skate hook.

http://www.icewarehouse.com/descpage.html?pcode=LH

[Hockeydog 8]

If you got the skates baked when you bought them, and they were not tied tight when baked, the store employee didn't know what he was doing.The whole idea behind baking is to get the skate to conform to your foot. Can't do that if the skate is not snugged up when baked. You have to be carefull when tightening laces when baking to not pull out an eyelet, but that is why the store employee is on the ground tying up our skate while you sit in a chair. It's easier to pull straight out and not out and up when someone else is doing it. I'd get them re-baked.See if you can go back to the store and ask for a re-bake as it wasn't done correctly. I also agree that you could tie them tighter at the top. Will help with your balance and also with hockey stops. My 2 cents on lacing skates is this - You want to be able to flex your ankles forward so you get good knee bend, so tie the skates as tight as they can be tied that still allows you to bend your knees over your toes. Lateral support is a good thing.

[moreoutdoor 6]

I think I'll hold off on baking until I get another session in this weekend. ..

... My only small complaint is occasionally my little toe feels a tad cramped along the side of the toecap (my left foot more than the right has this, but the right still has the issue a little). I felt it when I went to those first sessions, but shrugged it off. Would that be a valid reason to get them "punched out" if it persists?

I can't wait to get back on the ice on the weekend. I'm still sore as hell, but it was a blast. Anaheim Ice seems to have a great friendly atmosphere which is totally awesome for someone like me. I got some small pads for my knees as well....these bruises HURT!

... My fingers are pretty sore from tightening the laces, and I don't think I can get them any tighter. I just don't want to worry about something if it's relatively normal,...for what it's worth, the majority of lateral movement is out, not in, so in other words my ankles roll outwards if I don't hold them straight.

Sorry for being so paranoid!

a lotta good comments from others, so I won;t repeat.

if you do re-bake

fatwabbit's comment about additional 'wrapping' is a good method to get better contact without stressing the eyelets. I didn't have issues with baking my boot lower, but did use some velcro straps. I wrapped them around the upper boot, after tying the laces as tight as I dared - definitely helped hold the 'wrap' much closer...

also you might want to try the 'outside/over' lacing. This allows good lace tension (to your preference) without having to over-tighten or re-tighten after some icetime.

if you re-bake - to try before 'punching'

for the re-bake, add some soft foam padding inside your socks, over your 'hot-spots' - little toes. This will make some extra room specifically at those spots, which might be enough to not require a 'punch' after the re-bake. I have some calcifications I need to 'adjust' for, so I added about 1/4" of some dense foam at those spots, inside the socks before inserting foot into skate. Required some careful foot insertion when getting into the warm skate; but it worked out well - gave just enough space to not pressure the hotspots now when skating.

YMMV - if it's not enough you can 'punch' later anyway

[bwhockey17 12]

Yeah, for stopping it just has to come to you. I know what you mean though, my friends who can't stop all complain it doesn't feel natural. You just gotta get used to your edges buddy! Any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

[blackout 4]

Well I caved and baked them again. I figured I probably didn't lock my heel enough along with not lacing anywhere near tight enough. I won't get on the ice until Saturday probably, but they already feel much, much better. There is still a little lateral movement like before, but it is not as easy to do. Balancing on one skate is significantly easier just standing around in the house.

During the baking I used the lace lock technique on the top eyelets... that helped a lot to get the boot more around my lower calf.

I'll be picking up some waxed laces and maybe some yellow feet insoles as well.

[moteef17 7]

First off - good for you. It's not the easiest sport to learn as an adult, but I'll confess it's the most rewarding. I watched hockey my whole life, but never played. My winter sport was swimming - it's just the sport my parents put us into as kids, and it stuck. About 4 years ago, I got the nerve up to join a men's league team that needed some players. They knew what they were getting........ My first shift in a game was in shock. The speed of the game seemed so far out of reach. But, I can look back and say that a majority of that was due to the fact that I was just standing around and/or spinning around to watch the play. Simply put, I wasn't skating - just kind of moving around chasing the play. I realized that they only hope I had to really 'play' hockey was learning to skate.

So, off I went to as many weekday public skates as I could find. I went for weekdays because I could typically get on the ice when only a handful of other people where there (many of which were working on figure skating drills). I got to the point where I needed to push myself and try things that I knew could result in a fall. So, I started wearing my helmet, elbows and, yes, shins over my jeans!. I would force myself to stay at one end of the ice and just sprint 20'-stop, spring 20'-stop. Over and over again, I did this, alternating sides so that I didn't feel 'stronger' on one side vs the other.

Here I am 4 years later, and while I'm not the most impressive player on the ice, I can hold my own in the beer / c league level of play. It's fun, rewarding, and when you're playing with a solid group of guys, it's a great way to blow of steam.

Have fun, no matter what. You can practice shooting, etc off the ice, but the only place to learn skating is to lace up a pair and get on the ice.

Good luck.